Researchers developed a geoknowledge-guided GPT model that extracted location data from Hurricane Harvey tweets with an accuracy rate 76% better than default models. The model recognized complete location descriptions, enabling first responders to reach victims more quickly and potentially saving lives.
A UMass Lowell researcher has been awarded a nearly $1 million grant to study the effectiveness of extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) in preventing mass public shootings. The research aims to analyze how such laws impact gun violence and provide insights into data interpretation, social media behavior, and warning signs.
The Digital Media Overuse Scale (dMOS) is a new tool that measures digital media addiction, providing clinically relevant scores across various domains. Researchers found that overuse is typically reported in one or a few domains only, with social media being a significant concern.
Researchers found that social media influencers with distorted messages cause political parties to moderate their policies to win over independent voters. However, this leads to traditional media outlets becoming more extreme in their editorial positions, and citizens swayed by influencers growing more polarized.
Researchers at Union College found that viewing derogatory social media posts about mental health treatment can significantly impact attitudes towards treatment. Women who don't hold traditional views of femininity were particularly affected, reporting increased stigma against mental health treatment.
The study examines how social media comments influenced the public's perception of the war in Ukraine, focusing on age, gender, and ethnicity. It reveals how women are framed as symbols of national identity, with women from opposing sides being demonized or portrayed as weak.
The American Psychological Association's new report outlines several effective ways to combat misinformation, including systemic approaches like legislation and technology standards. Individual strategies focus on changing behaviors, such as debunking false claims, teaching digital literacy, and promoting critical thinking.
A systematic review of over 250 social media measures found frequent or daily social media use associated with higher odds of alcohol consumption, drug use, tobacco use, risky sexual behaviors, and anti-social behavior. Exposure to content such as alcohol advertising had the strongest evidence of harm.
A study led by Keck School of Medicine of USC used AI detection technology to analyze influencer content on TikTok between 2019 and 2022, finding an increase in posts that promote e-cigarettes. The prevalence of pod devices, e-juice flavor names, and nicotine warning labels increased significantly over time.
Smartphone usage patterns differ substantially between urban and rural populations, with urban users favoring social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter. In contrast, rural users tend to use Facebook and Snapchat, suggesting that environment influences smartphone behavior.
Sydney researchers have identified new structural relationships in complex networks like Twitter and political blogs. A 'source-basin' structure plays a crucial role in organizing the flow of information, with influential nodes serving as sources and densely connected active nodes forming basins.
Researchers from RMIT University found that Australians aged 20 to 40 years old take more selfies than teenagers and older Australians. Older participants used their smartphones for functional purposes like capturing information at work, whereas teenage participants preferred taking photos during exciting events or with friends.
Virginia Tech researchers analyzed partisan media sentiment toward AI and found that liberal-leaning media tend to have a more negative tone than conservative media. The study suggests that this opposition can be attributed to concerns over AI amplifying existing social biases, such as racial and income disparities.
Research from the University of Bath found that cognitive abilities such as memory and verbal fluency were correlated with voting decisions. The study suggests that low cognitive ability makes people more susceptible to misinformation and disinformation, contributing to the Leave vote.
A study from the University of Gothenburg and University West found that social media users engage in 'nostalgizing' to relive memories and emotions. The platforms' advanced features, such as personalized photo albums and reminders, facilitate nostalgic experiences, leading to a decrease in new content posting.
Researchers have successfully mapped thousands of animal species in Bangladesh using social media posts, significantly improving habitat conservation. The study also highlights opportunities for social media companies to automate biodiversity data collection, making it easier for scientists to access and utilize.
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that AI's deep convolutional neural networks can identify faces but struggle to capture other important information like emotional state and trustworthiness. Brain activity scans revealed a weak correlation between AI's codes and human brain represent...
A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour found that the US Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision led to an increase in public support for abortion rights, with 2.4 percentage points more respondents believing abortion should be legal for women who choose to have one.
A digital detox for a week had mixed effects on mood, with no increase in desires to use social media platforms. The study found that reducing social networking site use led to decreases in both positive and negative emotions in users.
A new study by the University of Notre Dame found that viewers tend to tip less and chat more when they see others receiving higher tips, leading to a 'crowding-out' effect. This behavior is driven by the pursuit of social status and can be mitigated by splitting crowded livestreams into smaller virtual sessions.
A new study found that social media platforms restrict user-generated content and advertising related to illegal muscle-building drugs but offer few restrictions on legal dietary supplements. This has raised concerns about the potential negative effects of these products on young people's health and behavior.
A survey of social media posts suggests that people are more positive about nature-based efforts to protect carbon-storing ecosystems than human technological solutions. The study found that tree-planting solutions, such as afforestation, received the most approval, while geoengineering was associated with negative sentiments.
Researchers describe the use of ripretinib and repeated surgical resection in a patient with recurrent GIST harboring a KIT exon 11 mutation. The treatment led to extended clinical benefit, outperforming current reported data from ripretinib clinical trials.
A new study from Carnegie Mellon University found that men are less eager and likely to share negative information than women, while sharing positive news shows no difference. The study suggests that this may be due to a greater concern among men over how others perceive them, leading to a tendency to self-promote.
A new study found that people's reported media preferences often don't match their actual news consumption, highlighting the need for more accurate measurement. The researchers also discovered that those with divergent media preferences tend to visit similar online news outlets, challenging common assumptions about media polarization.
A new study found that high-peace countries are characterized by an increased prevalence of words related to optimism for the future and fun, while low-peace countries feature more references to control and fear. The research used a machine learning model to identify these linguistic patterns in media articles from 18 countries.
SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS ONE·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateNov 1, 2023
Researchers found that FAAH inhibition reduced breast cancer growth in immunodeficient mice and induced apoptosis of breast cancer cells. The combination of FAAH inhibitors and endocannabinoids was the most effective treatment approach.
Michele Starnini and colleagues studied two online communities on Reddit: GreatAwakening and FatPeopleHate. Despite deplatforming, these communities became more resilient due to their engaged members who migrated to Voat, a new platform.
Two studies reveal emerging awareness of the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline among policymakers and the general public. However, knowledge and use of the lifeline vary significantly based on mental health status, with those in serious distress more likely to have heard of and used the service.
A study by Washington State University found that viewing objectified images of female fitness influencers can negatively impact mental health, especially among younger women. However, a positive message such as 'Love your body' can mitigate this harm and boost self-compassion in the short term.
A new study by researchers at City, University of London found that alt-tech platforms like Gettr are increasingly important for facilitating far-right political discussions. The study shows that users banned from Twitter are up to six times more active on Gettr, sharing toxic content and aligning with far-right news outlets.
A first-ever study of wartime deepfakes examines the effects of artificially manipulated audio-visual content on news media and user trust during the Russian-Ukrainian war. The research found that fears of deepfakes often undermine users' trust in authentic footage, and efforts to raise awareness may even cause more harm.
A collected sample of 30 million Indian tweets revealed 2% containing misogynistic language, with rates rising during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used a taxonomy to classify online misogyny and measured its prevalence in India.
A new study analyzes Twitter discussions on deepfakes related to the Russian invasion, highlighting negative reactions and positive sentiments towards deepfakes. The researchers found that some users' distrust in real videos increased after exposure to deepfakes.
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that exposure to norm-violating rhetoric from politicians like Donald Trump can reduce support for certain core democratic principles. The researchers found that Trump supporters who were shown his antidemocratic tweets indicated less support for partici...
A study by University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers found that crowdfunding platforms create a sense of democracy, but backers often come from similar groups and give to projects they find cool. This limits the democratizing potential of crowdfunding.
Researchers from Drexel University's Autism Institute found that most TikTok videos providing information on autism were inaccurate or overgeneralized. Healthcare professionals' content was more likely to include accurate information, while personal experience-based videos were not coded in the study.
A recent study found that social media is a significant factor in body image issues affecting teenaged athletes, with many quitting sports due to perceived imperfections. The research suggests that promoting diverse and realistic images of athleticism can help reduce dropout rates among young girls, who are more likely to quit sports t...
Research found that young users on Twitch feel a false sense of safety, revealing personal info to unknown listeners. The platform's nature makes it risky, as revealed data cannot be taken back. Parents must supervise all interactions to protect their children.
A study by the Complexity Science Hub analyzed work discourse on Reddit between 2018 and 2021, finding that mental health concerns significantly contributed to the surge in quit rates. The study suggests that companies can improve working conditions by prioritizing employees' relational and self-fulfillment needs.
A study found that participants rated women's bodies as slimmer when viewed in selfie photographs compared to external perspectives. The researchers also discovered a link between self-viewing and disordered eating thoughts, suggesting potential harm from social media consumption.
Researchers from the University of Notre Dame found that social media engagement improves when national and local levels mismatch audiences during recovery phases, increasing user engagement by 29.6%. The study suggests a nuanced approach to content coordination, with national headquarters leading production and local accounts following.
Researchers discuss lurbinectedin as a method to treat neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), with encouraging results from phase II basket studies demonstrating activity in platinum-sensitive relapsed SCLC and other malignancies. Lurbinectedin's mechanism of action involves inhibiting oncogenic transcription, promoting apoptosis and cell death.
Researchers found that short-form videos on TikTok can inform and encourage women to get regular pap tests, particularly when created by doctors. The studies also showed that autonomy-supportive messages improved attitude toward the message and engagement intention.
A Dartmouth-led study found that tweets featuring K-pop group BTS generated 111 times more virality than similar tweets without the artist's name. This highlights the power of entertainment in driving public health messages and bridging cultural divides.
Researchers at Northwestern University identified a new evolutionarily conserved RNAi-based form of cell death called Death Induced by Survival gene Elimination (DISE), which targets essential survival genes in cancer cells. This mechanism is ancient and effective against all cancers tested.
NTU Singapore's study found social media fatigue hampers cognitive judgment, leading to misinformation acceptance. Narcissistic individuals experiencing fatigue are more likely to share misinformation, regardless of accuracy.
A new study by Flinders University researchers found that viewing sexualized Instagram posts increases negative mood and body dissatisfaction among young female adults. Exposure to influencer imagery led to greater negative mood, body dissatisfaction, appearance comparison, and self-objectification compared to control images.
Current online trust mitigation efforts are focused on a single topic and geographic scale, leading to limited effectiveness. The 'glocal' phenomenon means distrust is spreading with diverse topics and local-global interests, making it challenging for organizations to address.
A linguistic phenomenon reveals specific rules governing sentence construction, shedding light on universal features of human language. The researchers found that 'whom of which' obeys strict rules, contributing to a larger discussion about syntax and the existence of pied piping.
A study analyzed millions of tweets by Republican and Democratic US politicians over a decade, finding that Republicans were more likely to share untrustworthy information. The researchers identified linguistic signals associated with low-quality information and suggested potential solutions for the public to recognize these signals
A new study by the University of South Australia found that social media use is linked to higher self-judgemental attitudes and a greater likelihood of considering cosmetic surgery. The research also highlights the importance of self-compassion in mitigating these effects.
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body Bureau emphasizes the importance of social media regulation and digital health literacy in managing infodemics, which can spread false information on public health matters. Effective infodemic management is seen as a critical component of the Pandemic Accord to safeguard lives worldwide.
A new study by Ohio State University found that most gynecologic cancer-related content on TikTok is poor in quality and accuracy. The majority of the content, over 73%, was deemed inaccurate and of poor educational quality, with racial disparities also present.
A large study of 57,980 children found that increased TV/DVD screen time from age 1 year is linked to negative effects on later development. Researchers recommend family media management and social support for parents to mitigate these consequences.
Researchers at George Washington University found that Facebook's core design features undermine its policies aimed at removing Covid-19 vaccine misinformation. The platform's architecture, designed to build communities around shared interests, can inadvertently facilitate the spread of misinformation.
A new editorial paper explores the effectiveness of the third dose booster vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in immunocompromised individuals. Researchers found that while the vaccine improves vaccine effectiveness across various measures, its benefits are not as significant for patients with cancer.
A new study from the University of Toronto finds that cyberbullying is associated with binge eating, weight gain worries and body image distress among 10-14 year olds. The study suggests that limiting social media that encourages eating disorders and appearance comparisons can help prevent these issues.
A study published in Science Advances found that exposure to harmful content on YouTube is driven by a small group of users subscribing to these channels, not algorithmic recommendations. Most viewers of these channels are also subscribers to the channel in question or similar ones, indicating a pattern of seeking out content.
A new study reveals that a hotel's own sentiment score and its competitor's sentiment score have a significant impact on booking performance. Hotels that improve their own sentiment score by 1% can increase bookings by .38%, while those that improve their competitors' sentiment score by 1% can decrease bookings by .25%. The research al...